Corporate Social Responsibility

News

1.08.2008 - 08:30pm ET

CSR News from:	StrengthBank Inc.
News Categories:	Workplace Issues
	Volunteerism

The 2008 Business Question: More Gangs or Volunteer Mentoring?

Studies show mentoring benefits to corporate America: more engaged employees = greater financial performance

(CSRwire) FORT WORTH, TX - January 8, 2008 - StrengthBank(R) Inc. CEO Sandra A. Shelton appeals to American business to remember that the future of American business lies in its youth. She recounts that capitalism in its finest sense has created an America that surpasses any other nation: "Standing on the tiny deck of the Arabella in 1630 off the Massachusetts coast, John Winthrop said, 'We will be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us….'"
Looking at the studies cited herein, Shelton points out that currently the hope for future America lies in the hands of a generation riddled by gang memberships on the one hand and corporations riddled by a largely disengaged workforce on the other. In both instances, to recapture lost ground, the intervention point is America’s youth.

Shelton's illustrates with her "cow story": "A rancher was plagued over a period of years by the inability of stopping a regular loss of 7 or 8 head of cattle in any given month. In desperation, he called in the local veterinarian. The vet asked to inspect the herd and returned in two hours with the solution to the problem. Amazed the rancher ask her how in the world she found the answer that had no apparent, visible symptoms. The vet replied, "Oh, to find out there is a problem and determine what it is, you have to look 'em in the eyes."

No gangs in your workplace?

Before you decide youth gangs are not your commercial issue, remember that Al-Qaeda terrorists did not look to be a threat when they boarded American Airlines and United Airlines on the morning of September 11, 2001. If we had been trained to "look 'em in the eyes" and assess the danger, maybe 9/11/01 would not need a memorial attached to it. Similarly, Gang members are now walking up to houses in random neighborhoods to "make their bones" by shooting strangers; they will gladly enter your workplace with the same intention. They want to look just like you in order to get close to you. "The latest trend in gang clothing is to eliminate blatant colors and blend in with the rest of the community, experts say." ~ Michael Buck,December 23, 2007, The Express-Times. The future of American business lies in its youth.

Consider gangs a national disaster.

Gangs are preventable; weather is not. Yet, millions flock to donate, sing for a concert to raise funds, offer themselves for photo ops, give money they did not have before, and take in strangers in a weather-related disaster. What about the right-now human to human disaster? Gangs are devouring our youth and creating a less-than-encouraging picture of the future. According to FBI's Crime in the United States, 2004 Report, 6.4 percent of all murders in 2004 were gang related; 9 percent of murders committed with a firearm were gang related. 2005 FBI - National Gang Threat Assessment stated: "The pervasiveness of gangs throughout society is undeniable. They incite fear and violence within our communities. Gangs threaten our schools, our children, and our homes. Gangs today are more sophisticated and flagrant in their use of violence and intimidation tactics. As they migrate across the country, they bring with them drugs, weapons, and criminal activity. Acceptance of the problem and joint community and law enforcement responses are our best defense." Visit http://www.fbi.gov/publications.htm for updated information and statistics. The disaster relief lies within the workforce in your company. The future of American business lies in its youth

Ponder this. If gangs continue to be supported (you know, by you and your company's employees doing nothing to prevent them), here's what we might have for our future:

respect and reverence for life so low that healthcare caps at age 50

we become known by our tatoos rather than our names.

we all sleep with a gun under our pillow.

we cannot go into a grocery story without a special ID

we cannot understand each other because of the prevalence of "gang talk" meant to confuse other gangs.

you have a business need but there is no trustworthy person to fill it.

drive-bys are a given in any neighborhood.

new hires bring in warfare to your office.

In some cases, an item on the list is no longer future but now.

Fewer gang member, fewer gangs!

"Warning against the dangers of gangs, nationally recognized gang expert Dr. A.V. Strong (FBI gang specialist) recently talked about the prevalence of gangs and urged the community to put an end to the violence that has been claiming the lives of young people.…'We can continue to cry and come to funerals, or we can get out into the community and build relationships.' In America, we have made it popular to be a gang member," he said.'"

Youth can stop gangs by not joining them. If gangs cannot recruit, they will produce no more gang members! StrengthBank(R) Talk Groups - Certified business volunteers coming in to high school advisory periods to "look 'em in the eyes" 2 times a month starve out gangs!

We've got to take back our communities and our workplaces by taking back our youth by looking 'em in the eyes as they grow to maturity so that they know the positive choices they have. If you do nothing, expect nothing. Business community involvement is vital in keeping kids out of gangs. The future of American business lies in its youth

How your company gets involved.

StrengthBank Inc., has launched a business volunteer certification that equips business volunteers to mentor in high school talk groups - to "look 'em in the eyes" -while improving each volunteer's engagement in workplace pursuits. Shelton passionately points out that the Al-Queda network "mentors" its youth; we can afford to do no less. We are sacrificing our youth to the enemy if we don't come in with a specific way to encourage our youth to higher pursuits. The visionary CEO points out, "If you have a mentoring program, you better be able to insure a school that you are mentoring to higher pursuits... that is why we have a specific curriculum that not only benefits the volunteer in handling his or her workday but also assures school administrators of the 'keep America strong' focus."

Baby Boomers, Step Up!

The biggest challenge goes out to the baby boomer generation. "It's time we fixed the mess we have created both at work and at home. The baby boomer legacy can be that we left behind a more engaged workforce populated by parents and grandparents who volunteered to learn the StrengthBank(R) methodology and teach it to our young. We want to be remembered as the ones who taught them once again to relate face to face and left them knowing how to hold on to hope no matter what! We are the children of amazing Founding Fathers. We don't have to continue living the lyrics from Cats In The Cradle by Harry Chapin:

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home Dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

No longer is it "we'll have a good time then." Better is "we'll have a good time now" as we talk it out on a regular basis and go through the high school experience together with those who will take our places and are the future of this great land. The future of American business lies in its youth

Business volunteers add greater retention and engagement:

"Managing and retaining staff has never been more important than it is today in such a tight job market. Whether your staff is Baby Boomer, Gen Y or Gen X (or a combination), they're moving through the ranks at varying paces. Boomers who still have a few years left in the workforce beware! They're hot on your heels and wanting to make their mark. So the question is raised - how to engage employees..." StrengthBank Inc.'s answer is get them involved with the local community youth; it is an uplifting, energizing, engagement process that continues to give back. Employees are citizens in the community, parents and grandparents of the local high school kids. They are the people most likely to benefit from a company's forward march to leave a better America for the future.

"A new study, entitled The Global Workforce Study goes one step further than just measuring employee engagement. It found that businesses with the highest employee engagement are financial winners. These companies also have a higher employee retention rate." ~ (full article) .

You, the remarkable company?

Does your advertising fall into this category: "… advertising is the tax you pay for being unremarkable." ~ December 14, 2007,The Idea Conference. Are you willing as a company to continue to spend advertising dollars that may have little if any social or sustainability significance, legs to positive legacy, or community involvement? If a "yes" or "maybe" went through your head, come to the StrengthBank(R) mentoring party and truly make a difference. The future of American business lies in its youth.

A proposal to use corporate goodness as a sales booster may well come soon to a boardroom near you. Cause-sponsorship expenditures by U.S. corporations have grown 46% in the past three years, to a projected $1.44 billion for 2007, according to the IEG Sponsorship Report, a standard reference for the advertising industry. Beyond the intangible benefits of goodwill, measurable payoffs for companies have included Coca-Cola's fivefold sales increase during a six-week 1997 program that pledged a 15-cent contribution per case of beverages to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and a 140% bump in Whirlpool Corp. product sales during a six-day drive in 2005 to benefit Habitat for Humanity." ~ Corporate Board Member September/October 2007 .

Will your company be in the next IEG list? "'What's happening with cause marketing is analogous to companies' competing to own word associations on Google,'" says Stephen Jordan, executive director of the Business Civic Leadership Center, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 'People are trying to own Honesty and Truth.'"

StrengthBank Inc. provides a one-of-a-kind way to allow your workforce to be the remarkable one who answers the call to mentor tomorrow's workforce and at the same time grow today's company. Sometimes the simplest reminders blow away all the complicated reasons not to go with the yearning for honesty and truth as the best legacy lived today and left to lift up tomorrow. The future of American business lies in its youth.

StrengthBank(R)Talk Groups = Remarkable Companies who contribute to: Less Gangs; More Productivity.

For more information please contact:

Sandra Shelton, President/CEO
StrengthBank Inc.
817 230 4523
817 714 7377
www.talkgroups-mentors.org

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